Champions Rise on Day Eight of USA Diving Junior Nationals
Cristiano Garcia, Gunnar Grubbs, Molly Gray, Sophie Hoffman, Jiaqi Lu
Friday’s competition at the 2025 USA Diving Junior National Championships consisted of a series of standout performances across the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform events.
In the boys’ 14-15 3-meter final, Cristiano Garcia of Montgomery Dive Club continued his dominance, capturing gold for the third straight year with a score of 472.60. Colby Novick (Carolina Diving Academy) earned silver with 420.35, and Nathan Piotrowski (West Florida Lightning Aquatics) took bronze at 419.55 in a closely contested field.
In the boys’ 16-18 1-meter event, Gunnar Grubbs (Stanford Diving) claimed the top spot with an impressive 507.05 points. Ivor Brown (Dominion Dive Club) secured second at 487.30, while Mason Mankey (Indiana International School of Diving) followed closely with 470.15 to round out the podium.
On the girls’ side, the 16-18 1-meter final saw a strong showing from Stanford Diving’s Molly Gray, who earned gold with 378.65. RipFest teammates Olivia Astrologes and Madeline Kohel claimed silver and bronze with scores of 376.55 and 371.25, respectively, in a tight finish.
The girls’ 14-15 platform final featured an outstanding performance from Sophia Hoffman (Knight Diving Academy), who scored 342.90 to take the win. Ella Guo (Arrow Dive Club) followed with 326.10 for second place, while Hannah McLaughlin (Woodlands Diving) took third at 323.25.
Also competing as an international exhibition diver, Jiaqi Lu (Trojan Dive Club) posted a strong score of 343.10, though her placement did not impact the official medal standings.
With only a few events remaining, the stage is set for a great close to the 2025 Junior Nationals as Mission Viejo continues to host the country’s most talented up-and-coming divers.